Life is Like a Boat
by EDS
Summary: A series of One Shots...Hopefully. From silly fun to a little romance. Random stories for your enjoyment.
1. Into the Fire

**A/N: Bah, I can't get passed my new found Bleach addiction. So, here's what I hope will become a collection of one shots, whether they be sweet and sensitive, or goofy fun. Cuz, if I tried to write a full story, I'd never get it done. Just ask my fiancee. He knows.**

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_I want you to know who I really am_

_I never thought I'd feel this way towards you_

_And if you ever need someone to come along, I will follow you,_

_and keep you strong_

Rie Fu, _Life is Like a Boat_

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**Life is Like a Boat**

---EDS--

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**-Into the Fire-**

The bowels of Hell quite literally opened up in the middle of the street. Only those sensitive to such things knew. Others simply bipassed it, barely understanding why they moved from their path to avoid that place.

Ichigo knelt at the precipice of the hole in the ground. The screams of Hollows called him here--as they did Orihime, Ishida, and Chad. And, of course, Rukia. She stood next to Ichigo as he peered in the pit of the collapsed street.

The feel of it was unbelieveable. Her skin crawled as the crushing force of so many dark spirits seeped from this fallen place. Rukia wrapped her thin arms around her small frame and waited for something--ANYTHING--to happen.

Ichigo stood next to her, half-looking at her out the corner of his eye. As always, his brow knit together in a scowl or as if in deep concentration.

"Pretty big hole." he said, calmly

Her mouth fell open. Was that all he could say? He had to feel the horrific powers coming out of the hole!

"I hadn't noticed." she smirked

He shrugged, then turned to face the others who waited patiently and fearfully.

"It can't be helped. Let's go." he turned back to the hole then took a step closer

Rukia's arm slammed into the center of his chest, shoving him back an inch or two. Ichigo stumbled, but quickly reclaimed his ground. When he stood straight once again, he stared at Rukia, who currently glared daggers at the young man.

"Are you crazy! Reckless! We don't know what's in there! We can't just jump."

His eyes narrowed at her.

"Yes, we can." he said, sounding full of himself, as usual. "What do you guys think?" he looked back to the others.

Ishida nodded, taking a step forward. His dark hair blowed in the heated wind. Red shine danced in his glasses, thanks to the fire...or perhaps it was the red gui he made just for the occasion. It suited him, making his skin look as pale as a ghost. Considering where they were headed, it seemed right.

"I, for one, can handle it. I don't know about you, Soul Reaper." he said to Ichigo, brushing by him, then leaping into the pit.

Rukia knelt down just as Ishida disappeared into the abyss.

"Ishida!" she yelled out

Orihime came next. She smiled nervously to Ichigo, then touched one of her little blue star clips in her long hair.

"As long as we're all together," she said with her softly sweet voice, "We can do anything, right?"

She moved to the edge of the hole. The skirt to her uniform was blowing wildly against her trembling legs, thanks to the stormy wind coming from the pit. For a brief moment, she looked down to Rukia. To keep her friend from worrying, Orihime gave her a gentle smile.

"See you down below." she said, then jumped in

Chad came last. The lumberingly tall man moved to Ichigo, towering over him. For a long moment, the pair looked at each other, warrior to warrior...man to man. After that passed, Chad simply raised a hand, giving Ichigo a thumbs up. Ichigo gave his friend a grin. Chad followed the others into the hole.

Now, only Ichigo and Rukia remained. Rukia stood up as Ichigo watched closely.

"Idiot!" she yelled at him

"Don't worry about it." he said to her, still sounding cocky

He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. She held her breath for a moment as their hands touched. Something passed between them..a glint of light in each other's eyes. Something undescribeable and unsaid. She couldn't find words thanks to the shock the touch gave her.

"After all, I'm going in there...and I'm bad-ass." Ichigo added, effectively ruining the moment.

His hand pulled her closer so that he could wrap his arm around her waist. Her face frowned while her mouth opened, completely ready to yell, but she didn't have time. Before either of them could think, Ichigo lept into the pit, holding her tightly at his side. Always by his side.

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A/N2: Well, the fiancee yelled at me about how I ended this. I just want any readers to keep in mind that this piece is just setting up the feel of my writing style and how my one shots will go. Geez...men...that's all I'm going to say about that. 


	2. Ichigo's Treasure

**A/N: Hello again. Here's another little goofy thing that I wrote. Btw, my other fics arent' on permenent hiatus. It's just hard for me to get back into a full length story as busy as I usually am. Today is a good day for writing, but I can't guarentee later, you know! I promise I'll get to it. Just let me get back into the mojo!**

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****Ichigo's Treasure**

Yet again, Kon had been stuffed into the body of his nemesis, Ichigo. Okay, nemesis was a strong word, but Kon had to admit his certain dislike of the orange-haired punk.

So, no fun today because Ichigo always had a scowl on his face. No talking to all the pretty girls because they were Ichigo's classmates and Ichigo would be angry. And when Ichigo got angry, Kon would lose a little stuffing. There wasn't much left to spare, here! Why did that brat have to take all his anger problems out on poor defenseless, wonderfully special Kon? He needed anger management classes or something!

Now, poor Kon trapped himself in Ichigo's room while he and nee-chan went galavanting the streets having action and adventure. No point in trying to do anything fun since anything he did would get him in trouble. Maybe he should try his hand at running away again? That would show Ichigo! He could become a idol or something! All the beautiful, large breasted girls would flock to him. HAHAHAAH! He imagined himself all done up sexy and stuffed, sparkling to distraction in the lilme light. Oh yeah!

He sighed. Man, that would never work. Or would it? Why should he give up on his dream! He could do anything he put his mind to.

But, bah, he didn't know where to start. Plus, he had to wait until that orange-haired goober returned. Yipee.

What to do til then?

He sighed again. Ichigo was such a boring guy. No video games or interesting fighting manga to read. Boring, boring, boring. Kon rummaged through some of Ichigo's stuff, tossing it around the room.

There was a hidden pile waiting for him, hidden in darkness. With a devious twinkle in his eye, Kon picked up the secret stash, hungrily. Oh, what could it be? The excitement was killing him.

"Magazines?" he murmured to himself, feeling slightly disappointed.

Until he picked up the first one.

"WWWWAAAAAAAA!" he exclaimed in awe

Naked...bosoms...Naked bosoms for all the world to see. Big ones. Small ones. Some the size of Ichigo's head! Peach ones. Brown ones. Beauuuuuuuutiful ones!

His mouth hung slack as he savagely searched the periodicals. How could Ichigo hold out something so wonderful! It had to be the most wonderful treasure of all time. Tears misted Kon's eyes as he feverishly scanned the magazine.

The bedroom door slammed open. Kon jumped ten feet in the bed. Wide eyes turned to Ichigo's father. Kon could do nothing, but stutter.

"Ichigo, it's dinner time!" said Ichigo's father, with a puffed out chest, "Aren't you going to join us?"

"I-I-I-I--"

"What's that you have in your hand?"

Ichigo's father lept from his place at the door, until he landed squarely on Ichigo's bed. Kon still stared in shock. With a shaking hand, Kon handed over the magazine.

"Ooooooooh, HAHA! You found my magazines! Good work, son. Better you than your sisters! Yuzu would have had my hide!" he gave Kon a overly good whack in the shoulder, until he collapsed in the bed.

The older man hopped out of the bed as quickly as he had jumped in with all of Ichigo's treasure in hand.

"Take all the time you need, my boy. If you're anything like your old man, it will take a while." he puffed out his chest again, then left the room.

Kon sat stupified in the bed for a long time. When he came to his senses, he mourned the loss of the treasure. Oh cruel, cruel world. Taketh and snatcheth away!


	3. Leap of Faith

**A/N: Okay, people have been asking about continuing the first part of the story, so I will in installments. They will still be one-shots, but just part of an ongoing theme. It will probably be broken up between random little stories I do. (Besides, I'm writing by music...meaning I'm basing the stories on songs I'm listening to on random from my play-list. So, until I get a song that goes along with that story...hehehe)**

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****Leap of Faith** _(Into the Fire, continued)_

When she came to, she found herself half hanging on the ledge along side Ishida. Why was it always Ishida and Orihime? It wasn't that she minded...but sometimes it struck her as fated.

He was already sitting up. Actually, kneeling on a knee, observing a spot beyond the edge of the ledge. Slowly, she began sitting up wiping sweat from her brow. It was too hot here.

"Ishida?" she asked quietly

His face half turned to her. A finger rose to his lips to silence her. Orihime's eyes widened at the gesture. Obviously he picked up on her confusion because he pointed down below. She apprehensively moved closer to the edge to look.

Hollows. Hundreds of them. No, maybe thousands? And they weren't exactly Hollows. They were people. Dark and evil people who flickered between man and creature in the red light of the pit. They crawled up the ledge slowly, reaching out for them. No doubt they could feel the spiritual pressure of the pair. Now the beings wanted to capture them.

She yelped, jumping back. Fear gripped her as she heard the Hollow's screams. Her hand grasped his shoulder. It must have hurt Ishida. He gasped the moment she made contact with him. She felt guilty for hurting him, but her hand couldn't manage to let go.

He cleared his throat before he spoke.

"There's a ledge. Over there. We can escape through there." he pointed

She looked. It was clear on the other side of the pit a little lower than the ledge they were on. However, there was a path on that side, hopefully leading to something close to safety. Still, they would surely plummet to their doom if they tried to leap.

Orihime opened her mouth to express her concerns, but something stopped her. Something in her heart. Something like faith in herself and in her companion. Ishida wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. Like she said up top, together they could do anything. No need to be a scared little girl...Right now, she needed to be strong.

"We can make it." Orihime said sounding assured

Ishida looked at her. He seemed shocked, but said nothing. All he did was rise from his spot. With her hand still on his shoulder, she stood with him. The creatures below were gaining speed as though they knew what the pair were about to try. There was no time for hesitation or doubt.

Her companion grabbed her hand from his shoulder. He gave her a brief look. Maybe it was the redness of the Hell pit, but it looked like he was blushing. No, it had to be the pit.

"Come on. Not a moment to spare." his voice was no-nonsense as he spoke

Orihime nodded in agreement. All she had to do was believe that they would make it. Giving his hand a squeeze, she moved back to run. Together, they leapt passed the ledge.

For a moment, they free floated in the heat of the pit. The monsters below watched, crying out to them. Like a hoard of bees, the creatures shifted toward the lower ledge. Luckily, the group clammering over itself slowed them down. It gave the pair enough time to land, which they did, hard on the second ledge. Both gasped out and stumbled, but soon broke out into a run to safety.


	4. With You on the Edge of Forever

A/N: This one is a little spoilerish if you haven't read 145 (ish) of the manga. Not too much though. Just a heads up.

Keep in mind that this story is set in the beginning of the friendship between Rukia and Ichigo.

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With You at the Edge of Forever

The grass was just a little greener. The sky, a rich full shade of blue. A blue sea that stretched endlessly above us as we sat under the tree. Leafy green littered the sky just as fluffy white masses moved across it lazily.

She looked over at him, sitting proudly with his legs underneath his body. His dark hair flowed with each blast of spring scented breeze. His eyes focused on a point far beyond this place, though he was right here.

"So. Do you like him?" he asked her without taking a look at her face. He didn't need to see it to know her reaction.

A moment of stunned silence passed from her to him, but not to his surprise. He intended to catch her off guard. It made the whole thing...fun...Especially that hitch in her voice, damn close to a wordless stuttering.

"Kuchiki?" he called to her, turning his gaze on her with a lazy grin"I asked you a question." 

She turned her face away from him, but not before showing off the look of annoyance in her eyes. Luckily, he wasn't just any guy. He was special enough in her book not to face whatever wrath he had coming to him.

With a reserved sigh, he heard her mumbling, "He's...interesting."

His mouth formed a tiny, amused "o." He supposed that was better than nothing. This was Kuchiki after all. With things like this, no one could expect such a normal reaction.

"Interesting." he repeated in her exact tone, "Interesting. That's good. No one likes a boring guy, right?" she didn't answer with words, only with a shrug, "More interesting than me, though?" he teased.

She frowned at him then. He wasn't sure what to make of the look. Kuchiki seemed confused, almost.

"No," she said finally, "Not more interesting. He's just..." she looked off in the distance, "He's just himself, in an idiotic kind of sense."

The dark haired man next to her laughed heartily about that. Once he settled down, he picked up a blade of grass, twirling it between his fingers.

"I guess the important question is if he'll always stand by you." the man said quietly

Rukia looked down with a slight flush to her face.

"I don't know. He's young, brash, and stupid. There is no way of telling."

He frowned at that as though offended. Rukia swallowed hard, wondering what she could have possibly done to step on his toes.

"Remember what I told you?"

She looked blank; his eyes narrowed. The nerve of some people...

"I tell you something profound and you forgot?" sarcasm tainted his voice, "Gee, thanks. I feel wonderful."

"I appologize."

"It's ok. Anyway, I told you that even in death, I'll stand by you." he leaned in closer to her, staring at her deeply which obviously made her nervous, "Did it ever occur to you that I might have meant it?"

Her eyes widened in shock. A content smile rose on the man's lips.

"Good. Glad I got your attention." he sighed, "Maybe it's just me, but I think you should trust the squirt. Give him a chance."

Her mouth opened to speak, but no words spilled. There was no time. The serene blues and greens bled to darkness. But in that darkness, she heard something. An annoying sound. Brash, loud, other words she couldn't think of as she rose from the haze of sleep.

"Hey! I said, BREAKFAST!" the voice said, just as annoyed as it sounded to her ears.

Rukia's eyes fluttered open. The world blurred for a moment. The world of dreams and of the waking mashed together. For a moment, the man from her dreams stood over her.

"Ka--" she almost said his name when his hair shifted from black to orange, "Ichigo?" it was her turn to be annoyed.

"Who the hell did you think it was? It's my room!"

She kicked him in the stomach. Ichigo doubled over while she hopped out of bed, suddenly feeling energized for the day. He didn't need to be so damn insufferable in the morning...geez.

As he bent over, she eyed him. Something soft shone in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt more at home here, with him. More at peace. The feeling frightened her, yet she felt elated to experience that again. Not since HE died, had she felt it.

"What are you looking at?"

The feeling fizzled, but not all the way. Underlying in the annoyance, she still felt...good.

"A baboon's ass." she helped him up, "Come on, we'll be late for school."

He stood, grumbling the whole time. Despite herself, she smiled while he wasn't looking.


	5. Head over Heels

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A/N: Yep, yet another short for this story. Hope you enjoy it!

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**Head over Heels**

Summer was finally here which meant only one thing: half-naked women at the beach! Isshin smiled at that very fact. His chances were good this year. After he hit twenty, his body filled out. He'd put hours into his physique just for this time of year. Now he had muscles all over the place. The women would surely adore him once he made his way onto the beach.

Thank his lucky stars that college was on break for a few days. Isshin and a few pals from school packed up their things into his nearly broken down vehicle, then headed out to the heated sands by the shore. Perfect day for it, too. The sky had only the fluffiest of clouds splattered across the ocean of blue. The sun was a frequent visitor, shinning down brightly, warming the air...the land...

The streets were alive with people near the boardwalk. Everyone seemed so happy as they paraded around the area. Really, there was nothing like the beach in the summertime heat. Then again, it could also serve to work some up.

He found a place to park his car rather easily at the little hotel. They'd gotten pretty lucky to have reservations. They were even more lucky to be able to afford it. It took weeks of scrounging, but it definitely paid off.

Once settled in at the hotel, the group headed to the calling shore. The four of them cheered as they ran down the beach, taking on the water like a valient, worthy foe. Isshin roared as the waves of sunheated waters pounded him. His friends laughed as the ocean tossed the man back on land with his rear pointed to heaven.

He fell over with a grunt and a thud into weat sand. Shaking his head, he forced his eyes to focus. His breath caught when he finally got his vision back in order. 

Long brown hair flowed with the salt scented breeze as the woman moved across the beach. She had a grace about her, a sway that would call to any man there. In fact, it did. At least a dozen men swarmed around her in attempts to persuade her.

She didn't seem upset by the attention, but she didn't revel in it either. She just took it as it was and what it was worth. All the while, a sweet smile played at her face. But there was a distinct disinterest in what the men said to her, whatever it was. He could feel it. The beauty was simply being polite, and surprisingly brave.

So many of the men around her were just as gorgeous as she was. Tall, buff, tanned and almost unnatrually handsome. It made him sick to his stomach.

He watched her with a hunger that he'd never felt before. Isshin would have given anything just to say "hey" to her. But really, how could he compete with the group of beach gods flocked to the woman?

Something deep down told him not to give up. This...this was important! He needed to go over to the woman and offer her something these men couldn't.

His friends called to him in the distance, wanting to know why he hadn't moved. One asked if he needed to go to the doctor, but he waved dismissively, not completely paying attention. Oh no, Isshin was far too busy formulating his plan.

Something like a spark went off in his mind. He had it. It was so crazy, it might just work!

Suddenly, he stood and stretched. After a few exercises, he ran for the woman.

"HEY, PRETTY LADY!" he yelled as he moved quickly down the beach.

The group stopped and turned in Isshin's direction. The Beach God club watched on with disgust in their eyes. The beauty at the center of the crowd continued to smile, but with a hint confusion.

Isshin flipped into the air gracefully, then landed on his hands. He moved left to right and back again with a grin.

"Hi! Hi! HIIII!" he said as he spun around on a hand, "Lookie here!" he flexed with push-ups, "Look at meeeeeeee! Hey! Yoooo hoooooo!"

The crowd of men surrounding the smiling beauty separated slightly, giving the young woman a better opportunity to see Isshin standing on his head. Her eyes widened for a moment before her hand covered her gapped mouth. Her eyes warmed so suddenly as the muffled sounds of her laughter filled the air. 

Something about that laugh froze Isshin for a moment. His heart filled with it. Filled to the point the stretched muscles ached, but it felt wonderful.

The men around the woman looked to her as though she were mad. How could she pay attention to such a loser? He could see it their eyes as he began doing push-ups. Her laughter became louder when her hand fell from her mouth, showing the most perfect smile in the history of smiles. Her eyes curved into half-moons of long lashes. It brought a smile him and a scowl to the others.

She walked from the semi circle of wooers, stepping closer to Isshin. He collapsed to the ground, then lept up so that he could stand. Blood had rushed to his face, giving his skin a redness..but that wasn't the only reason. Not at all.

Laughing nervously, he scratched the back of his head. She wiped the tears from her eyes as she grinned. The sun bounced off her glossy brown eyes, giving off glitters of gold with in. It caused Isshin to take in a long breath.

"Hello." She said brightly

"Hey..." he said in the middle of his nervous chuckle.

The men who'd been doting attention on the young woman since before Isshin and his friends arrived on the beach, disbursed. Each one looked annoyed or aggravated, grumbling all the while. After a few moments of just staring, the pair were left alone.

"I..um...My name is Kurosaki Isshin." he lowered his hand finally, "But you can call me Isshi-chin if you want."

That caused her another fit of happiness, but this time a blush came with it.

"I'll keep that in mind." she said, her voice sounding like a sweet melody on the air, "My name is Saito Masaki."

Neither spoke for a moment and just stared. Isshin could hear his heart in his ear. It throbbed, but it also whispered something in his ear. "This means something, Isshi-chin. Don't screw it up."

It's impossible for a man to know his future. He can have a good idea of what he'd want or of what he'd dream of, but fate was a silent thing that truly gave no hint. Destiny was to be played out, not found. But looking at Masaki, Isshin knew he'd discovered his.

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A/N2: I'm not sure the circumstances of Ichigo's parents meeting was ever discussed on the show or in the manga, so I made up something cutsie. Don't kill me if I'm wrong. I don't recall it being discussed but...after all those episodes I'm not so sure! 

Oh, if anyone was wondering what "-chin" is: According to a fansub of Bleach (I think it was episode 37) it said that "chin" is like "chan" only cutsier.


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